2017 Gabriel Awards: A Night About Being Human

Last updated on: June 29, 2017 at 12:36 pm by Kate O'Hare

2017 Gabriel Awards: A Night About Being Human 2017-06-29T12:36:09-08:00 Kate O'Hare

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Each year since 1965, the Catholic Academy of Communication Professionals has handed out the Gabriel Awards for excellence in film, video, audio and digital.

Here are highlights of the winners for 2017, present at the annual Catholic Media Conference, held this year at Laval University in beautiful Quebec City, Canada:

From the press release:

“Our goal is to recognize the best in creativity and programming that reflects the wonderful achievements of humanity,” said Susan Wallace, Chair of the Gabriel Awards. “Gabriel Award honorees are recognized as leaders in reaching out to audiences. The winners are communicators of truth and beauty.

“Entrants go through a selective process of preliminary screening and blue-ribbon judging, which includes judging in values, content, creativity, artistic quality, technical quality and impact. By maintaining high standards, the Gabriels reward media professionals for outstanding work that might otherwise not be recognized for its enrichment value.”

In the interests of full disclosure, Wallace is the director of external relations for Holy Cross Family Ministries, the parent organization of Family Theater Productions, where I blog about entertainment, manage social media and produce videos.

I’m also a member of the Catholic Academy, which is merging with the Catholic Press Association, which will present the awards starting next year, in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

By random chance, some of the winners were sitting at my table, including Bryan Mims of WRAL-TV in Raleigh, North Carolina, who did a beautiful story about a heart transplant for a boy (click here to learn more about it). He’s a non-Catholic Christian, and was a surprised and very honored to wind up at a Catholic awards ceremony.

Even more surprised was Rachel Matlow, a producer at Canada’s CBC network in Toronto. She won for a radio documentary called “Dead Mom Talking,” featuring conversations she had with her beloved mother, Elaine Mitchell, near the end of her life.

In her acceptance speech, Matlow described her mother as a “Jew-Bu,” a “Jewish Buddhist,” but photographs that accompany the episode relate that Mitchell hiked the Spanish Catholic pilgrimage path called the Camino de Santiago in 2013, at the age of 69.

Matlow described herself as a “atheist Jewish genderqueer,” and seemed slightly puzzled but deeply touched to wind up being given an award by “Catholic people.” But it sounds like “Dead Mom Talking” was just the kind of deeply human, life-affirming programming that the Gabriels like to honor.

Family Theater Productions sponsored the Personal Achievement Award, which went to Sister Rose Pacatte, FSP, a Daughter of St. Paul, a media literacy education specialist and founder of the Pauline Center for Media Studies (pictured at top accepting the award). She also is the film columnist for St. Anthony Messenger and National Catholic Reporter, reviews films for catechists and youth for RCL Benziger, hosts her own interview and review online show “The INNdustry with Sister Rose on the IN Network” and writes the “Sister Rose at the Movies” blog on Patheos.

I can also personally vouch that Mark Wahlberg will run down from a stage to greet her and give her a kiss on the cheek.

Click here to see a complete list of winners, but here are a few national programs that took home angel statues.

Under Television:

Entertainment, National or Local Release – “Roots” by A+E Studios in assoc. with Marc Toberoff & The Wolper Organization for History, and “Born This Way” (Certificate of Merit) by Bunim-Murray Productions for A&E

Documentary, National Release – “Defying the Nazis: The Sharps’ War” by Florentine Films, and “Jackie Robinson” (Certificate of Merit) by Florentine Films

Short Feature, National Release – “60 Minutes: The Resurrection of St. Benedict’s” by CBS News, and “Religion & Ethics Newsweekly: The Happening” (Certificate of Merit) by WNET, Washington, D.C.

Children’s, National or Local Release – “TOMKIN: The Catholic Cowboy” by EWTN Global Catholic Network

Ecumenical and Interreligious, National or Local Release – “The Story of God with Morgan Freeman” by Revelations Entertainment/National Geographic

And under Film/Documentary

“Sacred” by WNET, New York City, and “Before the Flood” by National Geographic

Images: Courtesy Kate O’Hare for Family Theater Productions; CBC

Don’t miss a thing: head over to my other home, as Social Media Manager at Family Theater Productions; and check out FTP’s Faith & Family Media Blog.

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